Effect of school-based interventions on attention and academic performance of primary schoolchildren from lower socioeconomic communities in Port Elizabeth
- Authors: Adams, Larissa
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Academic achievement -- South Africa , Exercise -- Physiological aspects Physical education for children Physical education and training
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/42085 , vital:36624
- Description: Health benefits associated with regular physical activity (PA) have been widely established. Regular PA is not only associated with improved physical and psychological well-being, but also with improved brain function and cognition, thereby enhancing academic performance (AP). Despite these benefits, decreasing levels of PA and increasing levels of overweight and obesity exist world-wide, making childhood physical inactivity a global concern. Research suggests children who meet the recommended PA guidelines of 60-minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity attain substantially higher academic grades. Schools provide ideal settings for PA promotion due to the substantial amount of time children spend at school. However, in many countries, including South Africa (SA), Physical Education (PE) programmes have been reduced and replaced with other subjects to increase AP. Furthermore, a scarcity of water, limited accessibility to improved sanitation and lack of personal hygiene at home and in school substantially contributes to the burden of preventable childhood diseases. These hygiene-related illnesses augment the cycle of poverty and disease through its detrimental effect on children’s school attendance, academic performance and productivity. Studies also show that obesity, poor nutrition and food insufficiency affect children’s school achievement. Hence, the school environment plays an essential role in improving children’s health, since many teaching opportunities about important health and nutrition practices are provided. The primary aim of this study was to determine the effect of various combinations of school-based interventions on the attention and AP of primary schoolchildren from disadvantaged communities in Port Elizabeth. Overall, 857 schoolchildren (n = 434 boys and n = 423 girls, aged 8 – 13 years) participated in the study. A 10-week cluster randomised controlled trial using four experimental and four control schools was conducted. Setting-specific interventions incorporated PA, health and hygiene education and nutrition components. The d2 Test of Attention measured selective visual attention and concentration with outcome measures of the percentage of errors, total performance and concentration performance. End of year school results were used to assess AP. Post-intervention and pre- to post-intervention differences between the inter-school comparisons revealed mixed results for the attention and AP measurements, therefore, no conclusions could be drawn regarding the assessed variables. Intervention group comparisons at post-intervention indicated that the PA intervention group achieved a statistically significant improvement (p < .05 and d > 0.8) for AP, when compared with the non-PA intervention group. No significant differences were found for AP in relation to intervention group comparisons for the health and hygiene education and nutrition intervention groups. Similarly, the intervention group comparisons revealed no significant differences regarding attention for post-intervention and pre- to post-intervention differences. Findings suggest that a school-based PA intervention can positively affect children’s AP. The current study emphasises the necessity of PA and reinforces the importance of PE in the school curriculum. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that PE regains its rightful place and be actively taught within the school curriculum.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Adams, Larissa
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Academic achievement -- South Africa , Exercise -- Physiological aspects Physical education for children Physical education and training
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/42085 , vital:36624
- Description: Health benefits associated with regular physical activity (PA) have been widely established. Regular PA is not only associated with improved physical and psychological well-being, but also with improved brain function and cognition, thereby enhancing academic performance (AP). Despite these benefits, decreasing levels of PA and increasing levels of overweight and obesity exist world-wide, making childhood physical inactivity a global concern. Research suggests children who meet the recommended PA guidelines of 60-minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity attain substantially higher academic grades. Schools provide ideal settings for PA promotion due to the substantial amount of time children spend at school. However, in many countries, including South Africa (SA), Physical Education (PE) programmes have been reduced and replaced with other subjects to increase AP. Furthermore, a scarcity of water, limited accessibility to improved sanitation and lack of personal hygiene at home and in school substantially contributes to the burden of preventable childhood diseases. These hygiene-related illnesses augment the cycle of poverty and disease through its detrimental effect on children’s school attendance, academic performance and productivity. Studies also show that obesity, poor nutrition and food insufficiency affect children’s school achievement. Hence, the school environment plays an essential role in improving children’s health, since many teaching opportunities about important health and nutrition practices are provided. The primary aim of this study was to determine the effect of various combinations of school-based interventions on the attention and AP of primary schoolchildren from disadvantaged communities in Port Elizabeth. Overall, 857 schoolchildren (n = 434 boys and n = 423 girls, aged 8 – 13 years) participated in the study. A 10-week cluster randomised controlled trial using four experimental and four control schools was conducted. Setting-specific interventions incorporated PA, health and hygiene education and nutrition components. The d2 Test of Attention measured selective visual attention and concentration with outcome measures of the percentage of errors, total performance and concentration performance. End of year school results were used to assess AP. Post-intervention and pre- to post-intervention differences between the inter-school comparisons revealed mixed results for the attention and AP measurements, therefore, no conclusions could be drawn regarding the assessed variables. Intervention group comparisons at post-intervention indicated that the PA intervention group achieved a statistically significant improvement (p < .05 and d > 0.8) for AP, when compared with the non-PA intervention group. No significant differences were found for AP in relation to intervention group comparisons for the health and hygiene education and nutrition intervention groups. Similarly, the intervention group comparisons revealed no significant differences regarding attention for post-intervention and pre- to post-intervention differences. Findings suggest that a school-based PA intervention can positively affect children’s AP. The current study emphasises the necessity of PA and reinforces the importance of PE in the school curriculum. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that PE regains its rightful place and be actively taught within the school curriculum.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Comparing the development of a sample of South African pre-school boys and girls utilizing the Griffiths Mental Development Scales-extended revised
- Authors: Jakins, Tamarin Ashlea
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Griffiths Scales of Mental Development , Preschool children -- Intelligence testing -- South Africa , Child development -- South Africa , Psychological tests for children -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9904 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/990 , Griffiths Scales of Mental Development , Preschool children -- Intelligence testing -- South Africa , Child development -- South Africa , Psychological tests for children -- South Africa
- Description: Both children and adults share a common, culturally distinct view of what it means to be male or female. These gender stereotypes are pervasive in society and daily social interactions, and influence all aspects of gender development (Golombok & Fivush, 1994). The inherent physical differences of boys and girls may have triggered the speculation and accompanying myths surrounding the existence of gender differences in childhood development. Many people believe that boys and girls follow a different developmental path that lead to gender differences in intellectual ability. An up-to-date and integrative review of theory and research on gender indicates two opposing perspectives on the topic, with substantial information supporting each view. However, this is the first study to examine and compare a sample of South African pre-school boys and girls from a truly holistic developmental perspective on the recently released Griffiths Mental Development Scales-Extended Revised (GMDS-ER). Developmental theorists have emphasized the profound impact early childhood development has on subsequent development, as it shapes the course of an individual’s life. Contemporary cognitive developmental theories, such as Demetriou’s (2000; 2004) developmental model of cognitive development, advance that child development does not progress in a fixed and predictable manner. Instead, Demetriou proposes that development occurs in a wave-like fashion, where the processes and functions of the various levels of the mind may be at differing points in their cycle of development. When one function progresses to a higher level, it unlocks the possibility for another function to advance to a different point in its cycle (Demetriou et al., 2002). As the significance of understanding the process of early childhood development more fully increases, so does the need to establish with more confidence the value and role of developmental assessment in the early identification of problems. The overall purpose of this study was to generate comparative information regarding the general development of a sample of 5- and 6-year-old South African pre-school boys and girls. Specifically, the study aimed to explore and describe the developmental profiles of pre-school boys and girls within the abovementioned age group with respect to their overall performance on the GMDS-ER as well as their performance on the six Subscales. Then, the mean General Quotients (GQ) and developmental profiles of the pre-school boys and girls obtained on the GMDS-ER were compared. An exploratory-descriptive quantitative research method was used. The sample (N = 64) was selected through a combination of non-probability, purposive and convenience xiii sampling. Within this framework, a between-subjects design in which matching was used to control extraneous variables, was employed. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and independent sample t-tests to compare the GQs of the gender groups. A Hotellings T2 was used to compare the Subscale profiles. No significant gender differences were found when comparing the overall developmental and Subscale profiles of the boys and girls on the GMDS-ER. However, certain interesting trends did emerge from a review of the findings when compared to the literature review and previous studies. The information generated from this study has contributed to our knowledge base of the performance of South African children on the recently released GMDS-ER.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Jakins, Tamarin Ashlea
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Griffiths Scales of Mental Development , Preschool children -- Intelligence testing -- South Africa , Child development -- South Africa , Psychological tests for children -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9904 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/990 , Griffiths Scales of Mental Development , Preschool children -- Intelligence testing -- South Africa , Child development -- South Africa , Psychological tests for children -- South Africa
- Description: Both children and adults share a common, culturally distinct view of what it means to be male or female. These gender stereotypes are pervasive in society and daily social interactions, and influence all aspects of gender development (Golombok & Fivush, 1994). The inherent physical differences of boys and girls may have triggered the speculation and accompanying myths surrounding the existence of gender differences in childhood development. Many people believe that boys and girls follow a different developmental path that lead to gender differences in intellectual ability. An up-to-date and integrative review of theory and research on gender indicates two opposing perspectives on the topic, with substantial information supporting each view. However, this is the first study to examine and compare a sample of South African pre-school boys and girls from a truly holistic developmental perspective on the recently released Griffiths Mental Development Scales-Extended Revised (GMDS-ER). Developmental theorists have emphasized the profound impact early childhood development has on subsequent development, as it shapes the course of an individual’s life. Contemporary cognitive developmental theories, such as Demetriou’s (2000; 2004) developmental model of cognitive development, advance that child development does not progress in a fixed and predictable manner. Instead, Demetriou proposes that development occurs in a wave-like fashion, where the processes and functions of the various levels of the mind may be at differing points in their cycle of development. When one function progresses to a higher level, it unlocks the possibility for another function to advance to a different point in its cycle (Demetriou et al., 2002). As the significance of understanding the process of early childhood development more fully increases, so does the need to establish with more confidence the value and role of developmental assessment in the early identification of problems. The overall purpose of this study was to generate comparative information regarding the general development of a sample of 5- and 6-year-old South African pre-school boys and girls. Specifically, the study aimed to explore and describe the developmental profiles of pre-school boys and girls within the abovementioned age group with respect to their overall performance on the GMDS-ER as well as their performance on the six Subscales. Then, the mean General Quotients (GQ) and developmental profiles of the pre-school boys and girls obtained on the GMDS-ER were compared. An exploratory-descriptive quantitative research method was used. The sample (N = 64) was selected through a combination of non-probability, purposive and convenience xiii sampling. Within this framework, a between-subjects design in which matching was used to control extraneous variables, was employed. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and independent sample t-tests to compare the GQs of the gender groups. A Hotellings T2 was used to compare the Subscale profiles. No significant gender differences were found when comparing the overall developmental and Subscale profiles of the boys and girls on the GMDS-ER. However, certain interesting trends did emerge from a review of the findings when compared to the literature review and previous studies. The information generated from this study has contributed to our knowledge base of the performance of South African children on the recently released GMDS-ER.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- «
- ‹
- 1
- ›
- »